:: Minoan Ring Seal - Ghosts Of Anemospilia ::

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:: 2009 :: 40cm x 30cm Oval :: Inks, Markers & Aerosol Paint on Canvas ::

Anemospilia, just north of the ancient town of Archanes near Knossos, is a site that has long held a dark secret. Excavated by Yiannis and Efi Sakellarakis in 1979-80, this tripartite shrine shows strong evidence of having been destroyed by an earthquake just as a human sacrifice was taking place. The skeletons of four people were found in the ruins, one of which was of an eighteen year old male who appears to have been trussed up on an altar in a manner similar to an image of a bull sacrifice depicted on the Ayia Triada sarcophagus. Evidence suggests his jugular vein was cut and the blood collected in a jar which an attendant may have been taking to offer to the deity when the earthquake struck. Two other skeletons, possibly of a priest and a second attendant, were also found. We see here, from left to right, the priest in ritual clothing with his hand on the shoulder of the tearful sacrificial victim; next the female attendant who appears to comfort him and share tearfully in his sorrow, followed by another attendant who carries the jar into which the young man’s blood will fall. An uneasy piece depicting a shocking event.

Ghosts Of Anemospilia

 

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